Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health

Individual, relationship and group therapy: Sex therapy is a form of talk therapy that is designed to help people work through sexual issues, concerns, and/or difficulties they may be experiencing in a professional, safe, and private setting. While some specially trained therapists practice somatic approaches to therapy, which include a level of professional and healing touch, the therapy program at the CSPH is very strictly a talk therapy model. This means that our work is done entirely through verbal communication and does not include any type of physical contact. Sessions are structured to create a unique and personalized approach to these needs - since every person has a unique story and goal they are hoping to achieve, we recognize that our services must be tailored to fit the individual. Sex therapy sessions are a client-centered process, meaning that the client drives the agenda and determines the steps, pace and goals. The role of the clinician is to provide accurate information and resources, suggestions, encourage positive reframes, and to provide homework as well as tangible opportunities for clients to learn new skills and build tools. All therapy programs at the CSPH are offered on a sliding scale in an effort to increase the accessibility of sex positive, client-centered, and trauma informed mental health care. In FY18, the CSPH provided over 800 individual and relationship therapy sessions, developed the curriculum for We Thrive, and successfully ran the Loving Openly support group with a total of 10 participants.

Personal Learning: The CSPH defines "personal learning" programs as education that provides knowledge, resources, and skills for individuals to navigate their identities, relationships, and sexual behaviors. Personal learning programs at the CSPH takes many different forms, including community workshops, written online content, and webinars. All personal learning programs at the CSPH provide welcoming and accessible spaces for people to receive sex education that is culturally inclusive, medically accurate, and pleasure informed. In FY18, the CSPH developed the Non-Toxic Masculinity Series, a 4 part workshop series for men (and nonbinary individuals aligned with masculinity) that focuses on unpacking the toxic expectations that come with "being a man" in today's society by building empathy, vulnerability, and relationship skills. The sequence of workshops is designed to bring men through the process of building a "non-toxic masculinity," starting with their own emotions and building outwards into their relational skills, their sexual experiences, and their community presence. This program was successfully run twice, with over 40 total participants. Also in FY18, the CSPH developed six personal learning webinars ensuring access to education is not just limited to those in Rhode Island.